Field mission 4: Etude in Blue, OOC post

[balancemod]

Come all ye young fellows that follows the sea, to me, way hey, blow the man down! Now please pay attention and listen to me; give me some time to blow the man down NAVIGATION 1. ETUDE IN BLUE: WELCOME TO THE SEA OF FALLEN STARS BACKGROUND. With of a month of bond building, camp fires, and a foreboding vision under your belt, the Director believes it's time to retrieve the next Grand Relic. Upon your return to the Moon Base, you'll notice much of the landscape has changed within the last month while you were gone. No longer is the Quad in a state of pristine, lush and beautiful grass. Instead, it seems as if the entirety of the Moon Base has been retrofitted to look and behave as if this were a coastal town. The lake that once laid quietly and peacefully now consumes the majority of the environs, and you'll find canoes and small rowboats to get you from point A to point B. There's a few days of preparation ahead, and Lucretia wanted to ensure that you had some time to practice the essentials: swimming, boating, and living on the water. Shrimp chips, provided by Bender, are no longer an option. Everyone is advised to attempt to eat them and test the effects out at least once in the 3 days prior to mission start. When consumed, they make you grow gills on your neck, and allow you to breathe under water. Each single chip will prolong the effect for 4 hours, so although you're welcome to stuff your face with as many as you like, you might want to lay off eating the entire bag in one sitting. Perhaps, most annoyingly, Fantasy Costco remains as a bastion for all your shopping needs. The goods have been stocked on high rises now, and like a Venetian city, you'll be rowing from one aisle to the next. Garfield doesn't seem too enthused with the advent of water in every single direction, but what can you do? There's business to be had from Reclaimers with a little extra cash. In due time, the Director will make an announcement about the location and scope of the next mission. "Reclaimers, I've known about this Grand Relic for quite a while now, but I didn't think we were strong enough as a team to recover it. With the experience you all now have and the expertise you bring to these missions, I believe we're ready to take it on. This item is referred to as the Soul Blade. The ability it has is disastrous at best. Any blade it comes in contact with becomes under the user's control. It has the power to enslave weapons to perform its bidding, and... with it, the minds and souls of the person wielding it. Our target this time is a pirate lord, known as Captain Ferryn. He's found it, and it's believed that the Soul Blade has possessed him and claimed seven other captains of the Pirate Isles. I must impress the power of this relic- it is beyond anything with which you've encountered thus far. More than just control, the Soul Blade can cut through any known material, both magical and physical. And that also includes your own spirit from your body. Proceed with caution. I've uploaded all the intel we have on the surrounding areas to your Bracers. As a measure of precaution, we'll be landing near the port city of Lyrabar. The Bureau of Balance has commissioned the creation of a large vessel to house all of us during the duration of the mission, where I, Dr. Tank, Lucas, and Killian will be stationed. You are welcome to stay on board the S.S.---" She looks down at a piece of paper and grimaces noticeably, "the S.S. Codfather... really, Killian? Or, you may take up residency in Lyrabar. The first order of business would be to ingratiate yourself with the town, find out the goings-on of pirate activities, and attempt to find work on, or obtain otherwise, a ship. I will personally be there with you during the length of this mission. Please keep me abreast of any information or clues that you might find while you're out in the field. We will depart in three days. Please make the proper preparations, and ensure that you have a healthy abundance of shrimp chips for the ride. That is all." 2. SET SAIL FOR ADVENTURE A. A WATERY LANDING You'll be going down from the Moon Base via glass spheres, shot by the flight technician staff member Avi. As usual, each capsule can hold up to 4 people, although it does get increasingly uncomfortable the more people are crammed together. You're shot down to the planet in the most horrifying way possible, seeing the landscape violently change quickly and without remorse or guilt towards your possible motion sickness or uneasy feeling. The landing this time, is a canonball. All along the middle of the Sea of Fallen Stars, blips of orbs will be falling straight down into the water. From the Moon Base, Lucretia watches on as the majority of you land. It's quite a spectacle to see the splashes from this high up. And once you're there, you're... kind of up a creek without a paddle. Without a propulsion or engine system to move your orb forward, you don't have a lot of choices here. If you're lucky, you might find a mercantile ship out in between voyages. If you're extremely unlucky, you're going to have to swim... or maybe you can pop the sphere hatch open and find something to paddle with. Be careful of the sharks? Definitely be careful of the sharks. Your destination? Lyrabar. B. THE SEA OF FALLEN STARS An aquatic landscape, the Sea of Fallen Stars is home to creatures and cultures of almost every major city in the world of Faerun. The vast sea expanses a huge area in the center of the continent, with islands dotting the coastlines like apples on an apple tree. Although Lyrabar is the de facto capital of the seafaring land, major cities offer ports of entry to the merchant ships that come in and out of the region, bringing exotic wares and goods from the far eastern lands and the dragonborn-held frontier to the south. It's estimated that over 15,000 people sail the Sea of Fallen Stars on any good day, and even in the worst of storms, a few thousand can be seen hunkering down and preparing for the worst. The inner sea is home to many types of aquatic life - including dragon turtles, sahuagin, tritons, and aquatic elves. Those who live below the sea's miniscus prefer not to interact with the population that live on the coastline. Beyond the denizens of the deep, shipwrecks dot the entire seabed of the area, promising unforetold riches to the adventurer who can make it down there, and untimely demises for those who haven't heard of The Drowned. Major islands that exist within the Sea of Fallen Stars include: Alaor, an autonomous and notoriously xenophobic city state, the Pirate Isles (described down below), the Isles of Prespur, where a giant prison for traitors is located, the Shop of the Gods, an island volcano state, and the Whamite Isles, a wild area once ruled by a great khan. There's an area within the Sea of Fallen stars that's known for ships vanishing in the dead of night, never to return again. It's area is triangulated between the Pirate Isles, the Isle of Prespur, and Alaor, and is known as the Prespuran Triangle. Most sea routes completely avoid the area either through superstition or actual fact, but the general consensus is that you're stark mad if you try to sail out there knowing the danger. It provides a natural area of defense for the Pirate Isles from its western coastline. C. THE PIRATE ISLES The Pirate Isles are a collection of roughly 60 islands scattered about the western region of the Sea of Fallen Stars. As named, it's known to be the epicenter of pirate activitiy, and dominance over the islands have been fought over for centuries- either between the Royal Navy of Lyrabar, or amongst the gangs themselves. As such, it's considered a land where no law exists- aside from the strict tenants of the Pirate's code. Those who join the ranks of the pirates swear upon an old book of scripture from a nearly primordial deity, known as Umberlee. Commonly referred to as "The Bitch Queen," or "The Queen of the Depths," she's worshipped out of fear and used as a symbol amongst the pirates to denote that the sea takes as easily and quickly as it gives. Those who swear fealty all agree to the Articles of Eleven. Perhaps equally interesting as to the inhabitants, is the history of this area. So many raids have been conducted that it's nigh impossible to wander very far without seeing a ship that will never see sail again. Alcoves and caves on the island boast amazing, lost treasures that have been stolen from the coastal towns that dot the map, and idols to almost every god can be found here. There's no shortage of stolen cultural artifacts here to be found, and any number of things can be dug up if you're crafty enough. 3. LYRABAR, PORT TOWN A. LOOK & FEEL Lyrabar is an expansive port and mercantile city that's been built up to the standards of the trades and goods that pass through it. Wealthy and seemingly peaceful (more on why it isn't actually peaceful later), along its roads you'll find well manicured gardens, elegant and elaborate public spaces and goods to buy stretched down toward the horizon. The roads are paved in stone, bright marble archways divide the city into neighborhoods and business districts, and the accommodations are easily the most comfortable you've encountered so far in Faerun. Provided you've got the coin. Even you bards out there with Bardic Inspiration will need to work that much harder with your performances to earn your stay. The city is something of a destination as well: aside from the capital of Faerun, Neverwinter, Lyrabar is where the most well-known merchants and businessfolk of the world convene to, well. Do business. You may even brush shoulders with the one and only Iden Firehell, author of the wildly popular "Longing, Loving, Good" series of romance novels. He's kind of an ass, though. A few places of note: ○ The Auction House: A large, marble building with floors so waxed you can see your reflection in them, and hard stone benches lined in front of a large stage. Auctions are held every night starting at around 6 p.m. — it is a city for business after all — but you'll find that the starting bid for everything is outrageously expensive. Completely out of your budget expensive. Maybe you're better off people watching instead of trying to snag some weird wares. And maybe there's something else going on here, too. Who would pay a million GP for a pearl, anyway? ○ The Hobby Horse: As saloony as a saloon in a wealthy business district can get, anyway. Here you'll find cheap drink, loud and rowdy music and an attraction called The Death Cave — which is kind of self-explanatory. Sign a waiver, pony up 20 GP and tackle the monsters inside, while the rest of The Hobby Horse patrons watch. And probably bet on whether you get eviscerated. ○ The Market: What would a port town be without its market? If it exists in Faerun, barring actual magical items, it can be found in The Market, a sprawling district toward the center of Lyrabar. The most popular item to hit the market of late is a strange type of pearlescent quartz that has been found at the bottom of the ocean, or somehow retrieved from the shipwrecks dotting the Pirate Isles. The strange star-shaped stones don't really seem to do anything at a first glance. The man who sells you one doesn't have much of an explanation either, aside from a myth: Legend has it that the most powerful archmage ever known to Faerun, a man who could have transcended the planes themselves with a snap of his fingers if he so chose, ground these quartz into dust and put it in his shampoo, to give his hair that same silky, iridescent shade. Also, maybe it makes you immortal or something. The merchant doesn't know. But it does, in fact, go great in your hair — want to buy the shampoo while you're at it? B. THE NATIVES Lyrabar is a beautiful city indeed, with all manner of people to meet from all corners of Faerun. There's a problem, though: They don't trust outsiders. For those of you who dealt with the wary residents of New Aspen, you'll find that the people of Lyrabar are even more so. They'll take your coin, of course, there's always room for business, but good luck charming information out of the natives. It's hard not to entirely blame them, though — ever since that blasted pirate captain did whatever it was he did to band his crew together, attacks on the city have nigh quadrupled. The pirates are hiding in plain sight at this point, and most residents fear that before long, they'll lose their beloved city to them entirely. The economic losses have been staggering, even for a place that has plenty of economy to go around. Along with the pirate attacks came all manner of pickpocketers. They tend to congregate toward the entrance to the city, so watch your BIAS when you first enter. They're sneaky, and expertly honed at their snatching valuables craft. So you understand why a group of people of varying scruffiness might raise the hackles of pretty much every resident of Lyrabar. There is one thing, one tidbit of information and/or advice that very nearly every resident of Lyrabar will give you, either solicited or not: There are ... creatures living at the bottom of the ocean. Terrible, evil, awful looking fish creatures. The sort of creatures you would not want to be caught dead trying to interact with. Why is that? Probably because you'll wind up dead if you try. They are incredibly adamant about this warning. They should know. They've seen, they've heard about one too many corpses picked completely clean wash up at the docks. And then there's the slight problem with the royal family to top that shit sundae, too. C. POLITICS Housed in a great towering palace with the same luster of those strange quartz you keep finding at the market is Lyrabar's reigning monarchy, the Royal Loire Family. Once a proud, powerful court that helped build Lyrabar to the beautiful and prosperous locale that it is, the family's grip of control over the city has been declining rapidly since Captain Ferryn reappeared, fellow pirate captains under his control. Simply put, Lyrabar's forces are not enough to deal with a united band of pirates from across the Sea of Fallen Stars. The money to acquire more weapons is flying out the window almost nearly as fast as the pirates have been stealing it — an ominous dread, the realization that perhaps they truly can't be stopped, hangs over an entire city that thrives on good feelings and good spending. Perhaps this doom could be reversed. Maybe you have what it takes to protect Lyrabar from what appears to be its fate. Or, maybe monarchies should be overthrown. That's entirely up to you. 4. PEOPLE TO TALK TO, THINGS TO KILL. NOT IN THAT ORDER. A. FIXED NPC'S Irene Loire. While Lyrabar has a royal family, their power has long been waning at the hands of the pirate lords running the city. Even so, Her Royal Highness Irene Loire is infamous. All of the Loire family have a strange ethereal quality to them with all kinds of handed down myths to explain it. On top of that, Irene is what all the hip new kids would call "savage". She's incredibly intelligent, but uses it for mockery and sarcasm; all barely-covered in the polite manners that are expected of royalty. Unfortunately, this is her way of showing friendship, so those she likes will have to get used to it. Arguably, the most cordial person most Reclaimers will find in the city. Which says volumes, really. Captain Ferryn. "The Umber Tide", Captain Ferryn is more myth than man in Lyrabar. Depending where you go, who you speak to, and how friendly (or drunk) they are, the story changes. One is about how he crawled out from the sea after being captured by the sea wraiths then took over Lyrabar to protect it. Others say he traveled to a spire that doesn't exist and made a pact with a being from another plane, and came back with ultimate power. Another one is how he was exiled from the royal family in favor of another line, then came back for revenge on those who wronged him and now simply owns what's rightfully his. Everywhere you go, there's always a new story, as numerous as the stars. Across all these different stories there is one part that always remains the same - Ferryn was different once. But then he left. And he returned as something more. B. PILOTABLE NPC'S Jingler. The Jingler has since moved on from the shenanigans at Maru and has now made himself at home in the shenanigans amongst Lyrabar. However, he's still on okay(-ish) terms with the Reclaimers, and can function as their contact to getting boats to rent, merchants who'll actually sell to newcomers, and perhaps more interesting information if you have something to pay him with. Bringing Fantasy Costco-branded merchandise near him is a bad idea, though. His vendetta to Garfield is powerful enough to burn a hole in the sun. Diego Fleur. A researcher within Lyrabar's Order of Magical Protection, Diego's a charismatic sorcerer who appears to be a rather simple person with scatterbrained thoughts when you first meet him. He's highly knowledgeable about the political state of Lyrabar, acting as a consult, and somewhat... unexpected friend of H.R.H. Irene Loire. His particular branch of magic is centered around the manipulation and control of the source of water, but his studies are somewhat curtailed by the fact that he just loves talking to people and hearing their stories over what books have to offer instead. Diego will tell you that he had come from a rural town on the outskirts of the Sea of Fallen Stars that was raided one day. He doesn't remember how he came to, but when he woke up, he was a mile away from Lyrabar, and had a shell clutched in his hand. He believes it was something in the ocean that saved him and brought him to this city, where he's done well for himself ever since. C. YOLO'S GUIDE TO MONSTERS Sahuagins. Across fog-shrouded coasts or endless ocean swells, an ominous drone sounded on a conch shell chills the blood of all who hear it. This is the sound of the sahuagin hunting horn—a call to raid and battle. Coastal settlers refer to sahuagin as “sea devils,” for sahuagin have no compassion in them, slaughtering the crews of ships and decimating Coastal villages. A predatory, piscine race, their chief combat method is to snare their enemy down below the surface and drown them. And if that doesn't work, they'll stab them with a number of odds and ends, including tridents and harpoons. Be careful not to bleed around a Sahuagin- they enter into a particularly deadly frenzy when the scent of blood touches the water. Sahuagins come in a few different types as well: fighters, meatier tanks, and the ever elusive and ever evil priestess variety. Be especially weary of those as they can easily charm, poison, and enfeeble you like no other. Hunter Sharks. Smaller than a Giant Shark but larger and fiercer than a Reef Shark, a Hunter shark haunts deep waters. It usually hunts alone, but multiple Hunter sharks might feed in the same area. A fully grown Hunter shark is 15 to 20 feet long. It's known for its impressively powerful bite, the likes of which are easy enough to tear an adventurer in half. Armed with an amazing swim speed, the last thing you want to do is be caught alone by one of these. Like the Sahuagin, they go into rage at the smell of blood. Additionally, they cannot be charmed, put to sleep, or paralyzed. Proceed with utmost caution. The Drowned. Sometimes, when a corpse falls into the ocean, the plane of Elemental Water breathes life into the body and resurrects it as a member of the drowned, an undead legion of humanoids who have been turned and dwell deep below the surface. Worshippers of the elemental princess Olhydra, these once-pirates and merchants bear no semblance to who they were before they became what they are now. Crazed with bloodlust and the hunger for flesh to add to their horde, the drowned are dangerous simply because of their numbers and their ability to get up once fell. Their divine protection makes them immune to radiant damage, making the task of getting rid of them particularly difficult. Clerics should be careful not to get surprised by this. They come in all shapes and forms and bear semblance to their counterpart as they were in life, and thus, have all the path actions that they have learned throughout their time above sea level. Hydras. The hydra is a reptilian horror with a crocodilian body and multiple heads on long, serpentine necks. Although its heads can be severed, the hydra magically regrows them in short order. A typical specimen has five heads. At the dawn of time, Tiamat, the Queen of Evil Dragons, slew a rival dragon god named Lernaea and cast her blood across the multiverse. Each drop that fell upon a world spawned a multi-headed hydra consumed by a hunger as great as the fallen god’s Hatred. Great champions are known to test their mettle against these fearsome creatures. Battling a hydra is a deadly encounter. It has the ability to grow 2 heads for every one that's slain. Sneaking up on it is not an option, as it sleeps in turns until all heads have gotten a rest, with a few keeping guard. Manage to break through its defenses and cut off its regenerative capabilities, however, and you'll have yourself some amazingly strong and agile leather to fasten into new armor. Be warned, though, that there's a significant chance of death in encountering one. Pirates. Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of rum! These are your average humans who have taken to a life of high seas crime. They come from all walks of life and have various combat experience, but the one thing to expect with engaging against a pirate? Don't trust them. They'll sell you out at the drop of a hat. Historically, the pirates of the Sea of Fallen Stars have been warring clans that look to pillage and plunder the coastlines, but with the pirate captains all under the thrall of the Soul Blade, they're forced to work under a united skull and bones flag. Some dissenters have fled the ranks, fearing that the old way of the pirates has died. Those might be the ones you'd try to seek out and parlay, if that's your MO. D. HUNT MARK LOCKED DLC. Maybe you'll encounter it during your adventure in the upcoming weeks. Maybe it's waiting for you, beneath the depths. Maybe it's just a cute puppy chasing a ball of yarn (it's probably not a puppy). Whatever this monster is, it's not currently a threat to Lyrabar nor the surrounding cities in the Sea of Fallen Stars. However, an encounter with this foe is both legendary in the sense that it'll make for a great story and legendary in the number of kills that it will probably get on the Reclaimers. The current location and identity might be revealed in the future depending on how some rolls turn out. Stay tuned and find out next time on... 5. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT Shrimp Chips. A creation that was requested from Bender months ago, they provide a few hours worth of water breathing after consumption. The downside? You grow gills on your neck, and your feet and hands become webbed. Maybe that's not a downside for you, but it doesn't work that well when you're out of the water. You'll find breathing and movement annoying after a while, and spending long enough transformed into a half-fish, half-person, you'll start to struggle for oxygen. Stay with it until it wears off, or get yourself back into water. The sea calls to you, after all! Wand of Drying. Within the glass spheres will be a requisite number of wands, one for each of you. The Bureau has a strict policy against the dispensation of magical items, but you can clearly see "PROPERTY OF FANTASY COSTCO" stamped right on the hilt. These are rental units. Ah, beautiful loopholes. Each wand will contain three charges of a spell that will dry your entire body in a jiffy. After the third charge is dispelled, the wand will shoot out of your hands and head... straight for the Moon Base. BIAS.Your backpack can be found within your locker at the hangar and contains the following items: ○ A crowbar ○ A hammer ○ 10 pitons ○ 10 torches ○ a tinderbox ○ 9+1 standard days' worth of freeze dried rations ○ a waterskin ○ 50 feet of hempen rope ○ a compass ○ a bedroll Don't worry, it's a waterproof bag. Probably. All complaints can be brought up with the Fantasy Costco Customer Service Delivery Hotline. The average wait time is 3 years. 6. HOW TO USE THIS POST This information introduction will serve as your campaign guide throughout the entire month of June. Please utilize this to ask questions from the mod team for clarification, and feel free to discuss your plans for the initial 2 weeks of the Etude in Blue event. All information in this guide should serve as a creative springboard for your RNG rolls, or allow you the setting in which you can be as creative as you like. We'll post up the IC log with some guided prompts to play out, but by no means is that the be-all, end-all for this mission. We love when you get creative! Have fun and be amazing, Reclaimers. blurb code by photosynthesis

Comments

[balancemod]

We think it's appropriate, so yes! Have fun riding that dolphin like this is a majestic Lisa Frank landscape, Mr. McCree!

Let's go back to the original PHB and rely on the ranger information there, if you're amenable to that:

Choose a type of favored enemy: aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or undead. Alternatively, you can select two races of humanoid (such as gnolls and orcs) as favored enemies.

[mccreehaw]

Oh man, it's so tempting to pick two humanoid ones, but I think he'd think he'll get more use out of picking beasts so I'll go with that one. Thanks again!